Building defects, Syrian refugees, vegetarian Thanksgiving, and more

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Defective thinking

It seems to me that the Council's building defects legislation is just a warmed-over version of the state's that did not pass ("Development defectors," News, Nov. 18). Why are single-family structures excluded? Don't newly constructed homes with flooded basements qualify as "construction defects?"

How difficult are the requirements to get a license in Colorado Springs? For a prime contractor, does it include a working knowledge of all trades? And what's so difficult about putting a 10-year warranty on a structure versus a two-year? Would these contractors purchase a new vehicle with a two-year warranty? Don't contractors quality-inspect their finished products?

By tightening up licensing requirements, having a neutral arbitration board, and requiring that all projects have a $1 million bond minimum (depending on the size of the projects and lesser on sub-contractors) to cover defects, you might see some of these construction companies disappear.

Knowing about construction defects litigation in Colorado, why would anybody pay upwards of $1 million for a new home knowing it lacks quality and the end result is litigation?

— Gary Casimir

Colorado Springs

It's not daycare

Author Pam Zubeck failed miserably at trying to paint this officer as a bully! ("Hands-on policing," News, Nov. 18) Does Ms. Zubeck believe that the CSPD is running a daycare center? Policing is a hands-on occupation. But you'd never know that by reading this joke of a publication which spews nothing but liberal propaganda. After reading the article, hopefully the officer was awarded three commendations for dealing with such thugs who contribute nothing beneficial to society! No Pulitzer Prize anytime soon for Pammy!

— John Smith

Colorado Springs

You missed the chile

The Pork Green Chile is an outstanding dish at Judge Baldwin's (Dine & Dash, Nov. 4). Prepared with pico de gallo, cilantro cream and cheddar jack, it's the best-kept secret in town, and I'm astonished that your restaurant reviewer ate the food at the Antlers Hotel restaurant without ordering this delicious and spicy bowl. Shame!

— Janice S. Moglen

Manitou Springs

Her M&M analogy

Here's a bowl that contains 10,000 M&Ms. Only 10 contain poison. How many M&Ms will YOU eat? That is the Syrian refugee situation explained!

— Helen Sabin

Colorado Springs

Show some courage

On a July day at the public swimming pool, I met a Syrian woman and her children who had fled to the U.S. to escape the hell that their homeland has become. I had seen them there before. They looked like any other modern Americans out for a cool swim on a hot day.

As we talked, the woman told of almost unbelievable oppression, heartbreak and fear. The rest of their family was still in Syria. They had decided that the lives of the children were the most important, and so they were the first who must flee. That could be us.

The horrific events in Paris and the bombing of a Russian commercial plane strike fear in the hearts of Americans. Many in our own country, including states' governors, are calling for us to close our borders to Syrian refugees, the majority of whom are fleeing from the very terrorists that we seek to extinguish.

Yes, acts of terrorism frighten Americans. But when we live in such fear that it renders us so small-minded as to abandon our American values, the terrorists have won. Our integrity as a nation is at stake, and yes, so is our safety. Refugees from any country who are given sanctuary in the United States should be thoroughly vetted before admittance.

We must not succumb to the bully tactics of those who seek to destroy us. Now is the time for Americans to stand together against such tyranny, holding fast to our shared values. Are we afraid? Certainly. But let's show some courage by doing the right thing, in spite of our fear. We must still provide sanctuary for the downtrodden and oppressed. After all, aren't we "the land of the free, and home of the brave"?

— Laney Barnes

Colorado Springs

The candidate

Re: Senator Wannabe Scott Tipton's not-so-thinly-veiled op-ed article on his pre-senatorial publicity and advertising campaign where he assails "... Obama and Hickenlooper ..." — not even given the courtesy of their titles — wherein he voices his concern (or most likely his posturing for his senatorial run) for admitting Syrian (and presumably other) refugees into the U.S. without greater screening. To the good Rep. of CO's 3rd and self-appointed Immigration guru and gatekeeper, I submit the following data:

23,092 = Syrian Refugees the UNHCR [the UN refugee agency] has referred to the U.S.; 7,014 = Number of Syrians the DHS has interviewed since FY 2011; 2,034 = Number of Syrian refugees admitted to the U.S. since 2011; and 0 = Number of Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. arrested and removed on terrorism charges!

Mr. Tipton, you are either not well-informed, a demagogue or a hypocrite; but probably more accurately a politician "whipping" up hate and bigotry from your base. In any event, shame on you!

— James M. Hesser

Colorado Springs

A word from the bird

While President Obama is pardoning turkeys for Thanksgiving, every one of us can exercise that same presidential power by choosing a nonviolent Thanksgiving observance that spares a turkey's life.

And here are some good reasons:

• You can brag about pardoning a turkey — like Obama.

• You truly are what you eat. Who wants to be a "butterball"?

• Fruits and vegetables don't have to carry government warning labels.

• You won't spend a sleepless night wondering how the turkey lived and died.

• Your body will appreciate a holiday from saturated fat, cholesterol and hormones.

• You won't have to call Poultry Hotline to keep your family out of the emergency room.

Seriously, this Thanksgiving, let's give thanks for our good fortune, health and happiness with a life-affirming, cruelty-free feast of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

Our own dinner will feature a soy or wheat-based roast, mashed potatoes, stuffed squash, candied yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. An Internet search on "vegetarian Thanksgiving" is getting us more recipes and other useful information than we could possibly use.